Hiya - advice please!

Just collected Teddy from the grooming parlour, looking very posh too. 

But the woman in there made a point of saying that he is "very dominant" and tried to dominate all the other dogs - she said he was getting in the other dog's faces and barking at them, also growling.  She said i need to correct this as it's unusual for a puppy to be like this (he's 4 months).

Am a bit worried about this; he growls when the children try to pick him up if he's tired etc but never bitten them (or me, or a dog) in anger.  I've always just seen this as him warning them he doesn't want to be bothered (btw he NEVER growls at me, tired or not).

Where am i going wrong do you think?  He has spent some time around other dogs and is well behaved, has a sniff then happy to walk on.  I always have him on a lead around dogs as he's too young for me to really rely on his behaviour.

He is wonderful with people - i take him up to the School twice a day and he's great with the kids....also take him on the bus/train/tube and never had any probs.  Do you think i've "over-peopled" him?  By this i mean that maybe he thinks his place is with the people and not other dogs!
Don't want to create an anti-social dog that thinks he's the boss!

Thanks

>she said he was getting in the other dog's faces and barking at them, also growling.  She said i need to correct this as it's unusual for a puppy to be like this (he's 4 months).

Getting in other dogs faces is what most puppies do, at 4 months old your pup will has much to learn in doggy-manners & self control, IMO

Don't get worrying about quips that your puppy is 'dominant' from a groomer (no offence to groomers),  if this woman is prepared to give you behaviour advice & tell you that 'in your face' puppy behvaiour,  is a sign of dominance issues, I think she should stick to grooming

>I always have him on a lead around dogs as he's too young for me to really rely on his behaviour.

see, you allready know he hasn't learnt all of his doggy-manners yet

Since when was a groomer a behaviourist or dog trainer?

Change your groomer. No, seriously, change her!

why would your puppy be in other dogs faces at the groomer anyway. I wouldn't want my dog in a situation where he could be "in other dogs faces"
You dont know what these other dogs are like and surely they shouldn't be all running around together in a situation like this.

> why would your puppy be in other dogs faces at the groomer anyway

Good point furriefriends!!!

> why would your puppy be in other dogs faces at the groomer anyway.

I read the first post and wanted to say exactly this.

I don't use groomers but if I did I'd not be expecting my dog to meet any others. He'd be there to be groomed only, not for socialising with other dogs, walking or playing. I'd change your groomer if I were you.

The groomer I use now is only a small one person business but has a couple of good size crates that she will
put a dog in to wait for its owner or its turn to be groomed otherwise the dogs don't really meet at all.
Being small it is very much a personal service ,true I only go occasionally as neither of my dogs (gsd and chihuhua x ) really need grooming or trimming . It just helps with getting out gsd undercoat as he is long haired and trimming little ones nails and sometimes anal glands  and I love the smell when they are freshly groomed mmmmm!

Phewey, thanks for all that, feel much better now.  It's really horrible being told negative things about your dog, especially when he is so young, i felt quite upset that i was on a one-way course to creating a terror!

When i arrived to collect him he was running around freely - i mean this may have been because they'd only just finished grooming him, and there weren't any other dogs on the ground; but the groomer definitely doesn't use crates or separate them atall.  I never let him do this (except at home) as he is just a baby and still has a lot to learn; he was never just going to sit down calmly and wait patiently for me to arrive.

Thanks so much for all your comments and advice.

but if I did I'd not be expecting my dog to meet any others

I'm in total agreement, my groomer always has dogs seperated unless from the same family. What if there is a dog aggressive adult there, doesn't bare thinking about does it?

she said he was getting in the other dog's faces and barking at them, also growling.


I can't tell you how normal this is, it is what pups of this age do it is how they learn, how they play, if your pup were still with it's siblings they would be growling, tugging, scratching, pulling each other around by the ear and pouncing all over each other making the most terrible noises, looking very aggressive, but not a drop of blood or a scratch would appear, they would then lick and cuddle up to each other to sleep and play less aggressive games too.

We take our pups away from their siblings and domesticate them to live with us but that does not stop their natural instinct to behave as they should do, pups are veeing for their pecking orders even at this young age and through aggressive play they are weighing each other up, it is not acceptable to us but to dogs it is perfectly normal.

90% of adult dogs will ignore a puppies play, some will run away from them, some give a quiet growl to indicate "Leave me alone!" He only has his growls to indicate unhappiness it is his way of speaking, so when your children pick him up when tired he is only telling them to leave him alone, make sure he has his own space to escape to as well, and if over excited pop him in time out to calm down.

(If someone can add the link The Bite Stops Here)  You will also find it invaluable.

But please don't worry your pup is perfectly normal and the groomer needs to just groom, I certainly would not go back to anyone who was giving out a negative and making you worry your pup is not normal, not exactly helpful was she, give her a wide berth.

> (If someone can add the link The Bite Stops Here)  You will also find it invaluable.
>

Here it is
The Bite Stops Here

> When i arrived to collect him he was running around freely - i mean this may have been because they'd only just finished grooming him, and there weren't any other dogs on the ground; but the groomer definitely doesn't use crates or separate them atall.

That really doesn't sound safe,as a groomer I'd never allow my customers dogs to all run round together,they should have been secure in cages.She should have at least asked your permission before mixing him with other dogs.
Also,dogs that aren't normally aggressive can act out of character with dogs that have just been bathed as they smell strange.We have several pairs of dogs that have to be caged separately once they have been bathed as they get stroppy with each other for a while.My papillon also gets stroppy with my other dogs when they have just been bathed,I just keep them separate for a couple of hours and she calms down,this is the only time she ever shows aggression to them.

I wouldn't allow children to disturb a tired puppy.  Just a safety aspect.  But Carrington is spot on about a pups natural behaviour.  So all the groomer has done is to make you wonder what is natural!  Advice from a reputable trainer would be far more help to you than from a groomer.

The very first thing that a groomer should learn is safety.  No dog should ever meet another and all should be secure before, during and after grooming.

Agree with the advice and think the groomer needs to do some updating on her understanding of dogs...

Also I'd be concerned about her safety, as if I took my dog to a groomer I'd no way expect her to be anywhere near other dogs except perhaps just walking very briefly past them or something....

Your puppy is at the right age to lay down some good manners for the rest of his life by socialising him in different contexts--if that's what your groomer means by "correcting" him. I am so grateful to the breeders of our lads for doing a fantastic job with them at an early stage of their development.

Try asking at your vets to see whether they can recommend some classes. The other thing to consider is whether your pup could do with some work to complement all the affection he is obviously getting from you and your children. Working on recalls and retrieves is an exciting game and a few minutes at a time of expecting full concentration will remind your puppy that you are the centre of his world.

Growling at children at his age is understandable but not acceptable. Equally, your children need to respect his space--not easy with a cute puppy to play with! He needs rest and time in his own space. Ask your children how they would feel if you woke them up several times a night to play games--fun at first, but they might get a bit growly too if they were low on sleep! You are picking up on all the right messages from your pup, so keep going, this is just the beginning of all the good times to come

Wow thanks Jay15, what great and lovely advice.  Have taken all on board.

as a groomer i am shocked that yours had all the dogs running around together!!!!! she is asking for a law suit at that rate! your puppy sounds like a normal puppy to me - and all i would say is find a good dog trainer to direct you in the right way to teach your pup day to day good manners like recalls, sit stays and walking nicely on the lead. and definately find another groomer!!!!!!